Suspicious Traces of Wusun
When Uncle and the others were almost done packing, I got into the van and lit a cigarette, waiting for Second Uncle to walk into the trap. When Second Uncle came up, he was holding back his smirk. I took a puff of my cigarette." I'm very useless, but I haven't peed my pants yet. Someone wasn't much better than me back then!”
Second Uncle was stunned for a moment, and his smile disappeared." Who…who did you hear that from?”
"Second Uncle, tell me, isn't it exciting to use someone else's hundred-year-old grave as your own toilet?" Aren't you afraid that the ancient corpse will jump up and scratch you? Oh! That's right! He didn't take off his pants. He was open-minded. He didn't mind a few drops! Hahaha…"
Second Uncle flew into a rage out of humiliation. He roared," You brat, you're so rude. Get in the jeep behind me!"”
I stretched and said with a smile,"I'm not going. I'm the closest to Second Uncle. Why don't I stay here and be intimate with you instead of going to the back to see Uncle's face?”
Second Uncle was so angry that smoke was coming out of his head, but there was nothing he could do. I lit a cigarette and handed it to him. Only then did his gloomy mood turn sunny. After a while, he became more talkative.
"Second Uncle, did you guys lose money this time?”
"Losing money? Can we do a losing business? Actually, I thought that this grave had been dug up! It had been fine for so many years, and there was no animal shit around. How could it collapse just like that? Isn't that obvious? But your grandfather insisted on going down to take a look!”
"You're wise after the fact. Why didn't you say so back then?”
"Hmph, I didn't say it because I don't know how big this grave is. What if it was a huge grave and only one corner collapsed? Wouldn't that be slapping myself in the face? However, a lousy helmet could only be sold to the nouveau riche. The Russians did not like this thing!”
As he spoke, he stepped hard on the accelerator and started the car." Let's go.”
The car drove deeper into the Gobi Desert at a very slow speed of less than 50 km/h. I sat anxiously in the car. This car didn't even have a car membrane. It was hot and stuffy in the car! Ever since I entered the Gobi Desert, my nose had never been wet. Second Uncle would even hang a wet towel on my face from time to time. I imitated him, but I really couldn't stand it. My nose felt comfortable, but I couldn't breathe.
Second Uncle didn't seem to notice my squeamishness and drove like a fried dough twist. I looked back at the jeep that my uncle was driving on the left. I saw that no one was at ease. Everyone was looking around. He even hung up a telescope and looked around, waving at me from time to time. I also gave him the middle finger from time to time, but at the same time, I felt strange. Why didn't he go straight? Why did he take a detour? I asked my second uncle, and he said,"Look for the grave." Think about it, we just found one, so there should be more nearby. How could this nomadic race be alone in one place? He had to see a doctor if he was sick. There must be more!”
I think this logic is very problematic. What if that family was expelled? I voiced out the question in my heart and was once again met with contempt. "Did you see that burial?" Second Uncle asked. Not everyone with military ranks could wear helmets casually! Look at that helmet. No matter what, it's still a big family. It won't be too far away if a big family is expelled. Those who are too far away will all die!"
I thought about it carefully and realized that this was not without reason, so I asked again,"Then what should we look for?"
" I can't explain it to you," he said disdainfully again." In short, find the wrong place. For example, a mound of earth, or a place where there is no grass growing around, or a place where there are dried water bubbles. There are many of them. Take your time!"
This…What kind of answer was this? I leaned against the window and looked aimlessly. Other than the grasshoppers jumping around as the car drove past, I didn't find anything worth paying attention to.
Suddenly, Second Uncle stopped the car and my head hit the car door again. "Can you tell me before you park next time?"”
Second Uncle didn't say anything. He jumped out of the car and squatted down beside a small slope. He was seen crawling on the ground like a dog, picking up a lump of soil and sniffing wildly. Then, he stood up, got into the car without looking back, and continued driving.
"I said change your name!" I laughed. I won't call you Second Uncle anymore. I'll call you Eighth Uncle!”
Second Uncle wiped the dirt off his nose." Why?”
"Do you know that there's a famous dog in Beijing?"”
"What?"
"Pekingese!"
"Kid, are you itching for a beating again?"
"Wasn't that just now?"
"No!"
"How did you know?"
"It doesn't smell like a dead person!"
"It's been a few hundred years. Even if there's a smell, it's gone, right?”
"It won't happen. The soil was not thin, and there were bugs in the soil. It was a dung beetle. How could it be?”
"Dung beetles don't build nests on the graves of the dead? Why?"
"Why do you have so many questions? Dung beetles didn't build their nests deep, and they needed hard ground. The soil that was used to bury people wasn't hard. It collapsed after a few hits. What if its wife and children died inside? It's not stupid!"
I nodded thoughtfully. At this moment, I saw a small hill not far away. The three cars slowed down at the same time, and the distance between the cars began to shrink. Before I could ask Second Uncle, he said,"Look at this place. It's surrounded by mountains and rivers. It's a good place.”
I said,"If this small slope is considered a mountain, then the rockery in the park is Mount Everest!"”
"What do you know?!" Second Uncle continued with a look of disdain. A few hundred years ago, this place was a mountain! It was because the grass and trees were gone, and the soil on them had been blown away by the wind. I reckon that thousands of years ago, there were many good fish in this sea!”
I was amused." Dazzle me! You know whether there were fish in the sea thousands of years ago. Do you really think you're a god?”
Second Uncle said," When you find the grave, look around yourself. You might find a few conch stones or shell stones. You'll know when the time comes!"”
"Uncle. You just said that it's surrounded by mountains and rivers. If there's a mountain, what about water?”
"You pig head, didn't I just say that you should go down and find shells and stones yourself? Isn't this just water?”
I immediately fainted. So the ancients couldn't find the sea. This place with shell fossils was considered water. This is much more reliable, but I still don't believe in fossils. "This is the wilderness. If there are fossils, even if I don't want the things from the grave, I'll take these fossils back and exchange them for some money. Later on, I found out that this fossil was not worth anything at all. As long as you find the right place in the Gobi Desert of Xinjiang, you can find conch fossils everywhere.
Grandpa's car stopped. Sis Hua got out of the car and squatted down. She took a magnifying glass and looked at it slowly. We also went over. This was a relatively shady place at the foot of the mountain. I wasn't interested in going over to see if I had discovered a new continent. Instead, I directly began to rush up the small hill. Finding fossils was the way to go! I looked carefully along the way. Other than big stones, there were small stones. I ran all the way to the top of the hill, but I didn't see any fossils. I shouted at the foot of the mountain,"Second Uncle! You liar! Not even a single conch hair!"
"Why don't you go to the back of the hill and take a look?”
I began to suspect that Second Uncle was playing with me, but I still ran over to take a look. The mountain was facing the sun, and there were Achnatherum splendens everywhere. If one accidentally touched it, it would start to hurt, then itch, and break with a scratch. I adjusted my posture and slowly walked down. When I was about to reach the foot of the hill, a miracle happened. Those…those were shell fossils, so many shell fossils! There were really conches, tiny conch fossils, everywhere. In my surprise, I realized that I was stepping on fossils. I was so excited that I filled my pocket. I wanted to find a bigger one, but I found that this place seemed to be a small fossil nest. I took the things and bit them. They were all rocks, fossils, standard fossils. Yes, I'm going back to give them to my friends. They were definitely fresh!
Both pockets of my trousers were full, one with fossilized conches and the other with fossilized shells. I walked back contentedly. When I returned to Grandpa and the others, I saw that they were all gathered together. No one spoke and they were all looking left and right.
Little uncle seemed to be very free. He looked down as if he was taking a stroll, looking for something. Second uncle was the same. His uncle and grandfather squatted down and watched as they retreated. Sis Hua squatted down further away and looked at the horizon.
It was inconvenient for me to disturb him, so I went to his side." Uncle, are you looking for gold?”
"Find him!" his uncle muttered. See if there are any tree stumps, signs of fire, or signs of someone living here!”Although I didn't know what would be considered a sign of someone living here, I still lowered my head to look for it. It had been about twenty minutes, but there were no clues at all. Other than the rocks and the grasshoppers jumping around from time to time, there was nothing worth paying attention to. I gave up and walked to Grandpa's side. Only then did I realize that something was wrong. There was a circle on the ground. It was quite big and had a diameter of five meters. It was surrounded by stones, and more than half of the stones were buried. If one did not look carefully, one would not be able to see it. Could this be a grave? However, it was basically level with the horizon. Who would bury it like this?
"Grandpa, is this a grave?" I asked softly.”
Grandpa didn't say anything. Sis Hua walked over from afar and nodded at Grandpa. Grandpa took a deep breath." The goods below are hard!”
I don't know if this 'hard' refers to the value of the things buried with the dead or if it refers to what's underneath. I jumped outside the circle to see if I felt empty. In the end, my feet hurt from jumping, but I didn't feel empty. "Stop looking!" Grandpa shouted at Second Uncle and the others. No one has lived here before!"
Everyone gathered around. Grandpa said,"Why do I feel like this is the tomb of the Wusun Tribe? It must have been there for a thousand years. This wasn't right! The tomb they found in front was only a few hundred years old. This one was too far away!”
"Is there anything strange?" I asked Grandpa.”
Grandpa pulled me and said," Look at this circle. It's actually a picture. It's not just a circle. It represents the sun. If they were buried in the sun, this tomb would be interesting. But we're not even 40 kilometers away from the grave. Don't you think there's something wrong?”
I looked at Grandpa blankly and shook my head.
Grandpa said," The ancients had a habit of not placing their graves too close to other people's graves. Although there are graves built on top of other people's graves, it's usually not like this!”
I suddenly had an idea and said,"Grandpa, could it be that the family lying under this grave is the same as the one 40 kilometers away? Or could it be that they have been guarding this grave for their entire lives?”
Grandpa shook his head." A few hundred years? Then why didn't we find any other graves?”
"Grandpa, could it be that they were buried too hastily? Or perhaps they didn't even know that there was a grave here!”
"If this symbol isn't from the Wusun Tribe, then there's something fishy about what's down there!" Grandpa said, lighting up a cigarette.”
Second Uncle couldn't stand it anymore." Dad! Why bother? Let's open it first! Everything would be fine after being exposed to sunlight!”
His uncle was also fanning the flames.
Grandpa did not move. Uncle walked over and said,"Why do I feel like it's an entrance? It doesn't mean anything.”
"That's possible!" Grandpa said. Let's go! Let's go!"
Everyone started to get into the car. I asked,"Second Uncle, aren't we digging?"”
Second Uncle said,"Dig your big head! Look at the sky. It'll be dark in a few hours. What if a dark gang comes and you die here?!”
I thought it made sense and asked,"Then should we go back?"”
"Go back? Back to where? We'll find a place to sleep 20 kilometers away!”
I was stunned on the spot. Still sleeping in the wilderness?”
No one paid attention to me, so I had no choice but to follow him into the car.
We set up camp in a low-lying place. This place was not as good as the last place. Little uncle and second uncle went back empty-handed to find firewood. The uncle took out half a bag of charcoal from the back of the jeep and began to dig on the spot. At the bottom, he placed parchment paper, then found some withered grass, put some charcoal, and poured gasoline on it. Blue flames rose in the vast Gobi Desert. This charcoal couldn't withstand the wind. No wonder he had to dig down. I began to understand that my relatives were all wilderness survival experts.
In the evening, Uncle made a few packets of instant noodles. After a busy day, it was really comfortable to eat some soup. When she finally relaxed, she realized that she was actually about to collapse. She lit a cigarette and was too lazy to smoke. As soon as I lay down, Uncle threw a wet towel at me." Wipe it. It's inevitable that something will come out of the grave. It's good to wipe it."”
I took the towel and smelled it. It smelled like a hospital. It was disinfectant! I remember that I used to bathe my dog with this. This is really revenge! I glanced sideways at Sis Hua. She was looking at me as if she was enjoying a performance. I was embarrassed. I ran to the back of the jeep with a towel and took off half of my clothes. As I wiped, I looked around habitually, afraid of being watched. When the disinfectant touched the place where the Achnatherum splendens had stung him, it hurt! I even have the heart to chop off my legs.
The wonderful thing happened when he lay down. After lying down, I felt very comfortable all over. I didn't have the sticky feeling from before at all. I covered myself with my coat and looked up at the starry sky. The stars in the sky seemed to be within reach. Occasionally, there was the low chirping of crickets around me. A thin wind blew, mixed with a warm heat wave, making me sleepy.
I turned around and saw Sis Hua. She had a piece of foxtail grass dangling in her mouth. She tidied her hair and looked at the starry sky. I wondered if she would look at the same starry sky as me. Just like that, my eyelids became heavier and heavier, and I actually fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning, I was woken up by a pee. I looked around. The charcoal fire was still emitting heat. The sun was high up in the sky. I had an extra coat on me. The coat was Sis Hua's, and the faint fragrance of the jasmine flower made people feel refreshed. However, my entire body was aching and my mouth was dry. I rubbed my eyes. My head was a little swollen. Sis Hua suddenly coughed behind me, giving me a fright. I turned around and saw her holding a bowl of ginger soup in my hand." Hurry up and drink it. You'll feel better after eating some naang." I'm still busy today and can't care about you. Just look at it more!”
She turned around and left after saying that. I drank a few mouthfuls and felt much better. Then, I jumped up and started to run. That stomach full of urine and ginger soup made me feel like I was about to explode. I ran far away, untied my belt and started to release the water. It was so comfortable. At this moment, I noticed something that was not very harmonious. The ground here was very sunken, but it was obviously not like a water bubble. It was a little like a foundation sinking, and it was surrounded by Achnatherum splendens. If I didn't come here to relieve myself, I really wouldn't have noticed the scenery here. I looked at it carefully, afraid that I would be laughed at by uncle and the others if I saw wrongly. I tried to step on the depression. It was very hard ground, and from the depression, I could see that there was a black hole below. I jumped up and shouted,"Uncle! Uncle! I found a grave. Come and take a look!”
At this time, everyone was having breakfast. Second Uncle tore off a piece of dried horse meat." Did you treat the water bubble as a grave again?”
I rushed over and said breathlessly,"No! No! There were no watermarks around them, but they were all covered in Achnatherum splendens. They formed a circle, and the ground had collapsed!”
When the uncle heard this, he put down the naan in his hand, picked up a handful of Yengisar, and followed him. He first cut open the Achnatherum splendens around him, then squatted outside and began to observe. He tried to use the blade to stab into the collapsed soil, and a few pieces of soil were pulled down. He picked it up, sniffed it, pinched it with his hand, and put the bottom piece of soil into his mouth, making it squeak. Then he stood up." This is a grave, but it's not a person buried under it.”
"What? Not human? [-3uww] What is that? How do you know it's not human? [-3uww]!”
Uncle said," When this place was still a prairie, this place should have been a cave. Many sheep and children fell into it. They couldn't touch it to the bottom, and they couldn't fill it in. The ancient people who didn't know the truth thought that these sheep and children were taken away by the gods. However, they also hoped that the gods would not take too much. They must have paid their respects at that time!”
"Why?" I asked. Why?"
The uncle unbuckled his belt and said as he went to the bathroom,"Put your hand at the entrance of the cave and feel it. Do you feel the wind blowing? This meant that there was an empty space below, and there should be another hole nearby, or several. Also, look at the insects outside. It means that there's more than one kind of small insects living below.”
I tried to put my hand on the hole and use my body to block the wind on the ground. As soon as I touched the hole, I felt a cold wind.
The uncle continued," Also, there should be underground water somewhere. The wind in the cave carried water vapor up and nourished the surrounding grass!”
With that, he pulled up his pants and left, leaving me depressed. I really want to curse. What kind of place is this? If it collapses, so be it. Why did I accidentally bump into it? If I bumped into it, so be it. Why did you have to create such a hole! I kicked the stone under my feet hard. I didn't want to be too fierce and get pricked by the Achnatherum splendens. I grimaced in pain as I returned to the place where I camped. I picked up the naan and chewed on it.
The uncle reported the situation to his grandfather. He saw his grandfather listening to him with a smile by the car and laughing from time to time.
I can't eat anymore after eating half of it. This morning is really unlucky! I pulled out the Yengisar and watched them pack their belongings in boredom.
After a while, Grandpa stretched out a hand from the car and waved for us to get on the road.
The car returned to the place from that day. Grandpa didn't seem to be in a hurry to dig and began to pace around the circle again. He lit up a cigarette and stretched." Cover this area with a Sun Shroud and start digging half a meter from the outside!”
Uncle, Second Uncle, and Little Uncle came out from the back of the jeep with a black sun-blocking canopy that was eight meters long. They drove the car to three corners and fixed the Sun Shed on the roof of the car. They found an iron frame to fix it on the other side. Including Sis Hua, they all started digging with hoes. I poured a bucket of soil and handed the hoe to them. I realized that as long as I didn't wear that waterproof suit, I still had a lot of patience. This grave was unusually easy to dig. Other than the initial layer of broken stones, there were basically very few stones of all sizes below. It was all soil. The soil was compressed, making it easier to dig. With a pick, a large piece of soil was peeled off. From time to time, I would take turns with Second Uncle and the others to let them drink water or smoke.
By lunchtime, a circular trench half a meter deep had been dug outside the circle. I gnawed on a section of horse intestines, ate naan, and looked at the ditch. I couldn't imagine what it looked like. Could it really be an entrance? During the meal, everyone was saving their energy. No one spoke. Less than ten minutes after the meal, they began to dig deeper. I became the cook and began to clean up the leftovers.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。